Bishops Bees

Bishops Bees We are UK honeybee queen breeders based in North Devon and offer UK bred honey bee queens and nucs

Instrumental insemination is about selection, not replacing nature. 🐝This queen is being instrumentally inseminated as p...
05/08/2026

Instrumental insemination is about selection, not replacing nature. 🐝

This queen is being instrumentally inseminated as part of one of my queen breeding programmes. She now heads one of my production colonies.

The purpose of instrumental insemination is to control which drones contribute to the next generation. By carefully selecting both the queen and the drones, it's possible to preserve desirable characteristics such as temperament, productivity, brood pattern and overwintering ability.

Without controlled mating, a queen mates naturally with many drones from the surrounding area. That's important for maintaining genetic diversity, but it also means the beekeeper has very little control over which traits are passed on.

Instrumental insemination is another breeding tool. It allows specific breeding lines to be developed, evaluated and improved over successive generations while still maintaining healthy, vigorous colonies.

Every queen still has to prove herself in the hive. Good breeding starts with careful selection, but it's the colony's performance that ultimately determines whether those genetics are worth carrying forward.

A frame full of sealed brood. 🐝This is the sort of frame that shows just how quickly a colony can build its population.M...
01/08/2026

A frame full of sealed brood. 🐝

This is the sort of frame that shows just how quickly a colony can build its population.

Most of the cells are capped, with developing worker bees completing the final stages of growth beneath the wax. Over the coming days, they will begin to emerge and add a substantial number of young bees to the colony.

Frames like this are especially valuable when assessing colony strength, preparing colonies for queen rearing, or deciding whether brood can be used to support a weaker colony.

The pattern is never expected to be completely solid. Some open cells may contain younger brood, stores, or may already have produced an emerging bee. What matters is looking at the frame as a whole and understanding what it tells us about the colony’s development.

A great deal of the future workforce is contained within this one frame.

An unexpected discovery beneath a hive stand. 🐝I went to move this empty hive stand so I could put a hive on it, only to...
29/07/2026

An unexpected discovery beneath a hive stand. 🐝

I went to move this empty hive stand so I could put a hive on it, only to find it was already occupied.

A small colony had established itself underneath the stand, building fresh white comb directly onto the timber.

Honey bees will readily use almost any sheltered space if they need somewhere to start building comb. While this certainly isn't where I'd expect to find a colony, it provided enough protection for the bees to get started.

It's a good reminder to check equipment carefully before moving it—you never know what might have made a home there.

Finding colonies in unusual places is just one of the many surprises that comes with spending time around bees.

Spaces are available on our Practical Beekeeping – The Basics course.This is a hands-on day for beginners and newer beek...
13/07/2026

Spaces are available on our Practical Beekeeping – The Basics course.

This is a hands-on day for beginners and newer beekeepers who want to build confidence around bees and understand the foundations of good hive management.

We will look at inspections, equipment, colony behaviour, what to look for on the frames, and how to start making sense of what the bees are telling you.

📅 Thursday 16th July
📍 Bishops Bees, North Devon

Book here:
https://bishopsbees.co.uk/product/beekeeping-for-beginners-practical-course

A slightly unexpected start to the beekeeping day. 🐦🐝I opened up the Kramer to let it air out in the hot weather, then c...
11/07/2026

A slightly unexpected start to the beekeeping day. 🐦🐝

I opened up the Kramer to let it air out in the hot weather, then came back later to get started with the day’s jobs.

Only to find this little visitor inside.

The bird was flying around trying to get out through the closed window, so after a bit of gentle encouragement, I managed to guide it safely back outside.

Beekeeping days are never just about bees. When you’re working in apiaries, fields and sheds, you end up sharing the space with all sorts of wildlife.

Most days have some little surprise in them — this one just happened to be sitting in the Kramer waiting for me.

Queen marking and record keeping. 👑🐝I’ve been collecting mated queens from nucs, marking them with numbered discs, and p...
08/07/2026

Queen marking and record keeping. 👑🐝

I’ve been collecting mated queens from nucs, marking them with numbered discs, and preparing queens to be sold and sent out.

The number isn’t just for appearance. It gives each queen a clear identity, which makes record keeping much easier.

A numbered queen can be matched back to her records, including things like:

• which line she came from
• which nuc she was in
• when she was mated
• whether she is being kept, sold or moved
• how she performs later on

When you are working with a few queens, it is possible to keep track by memory for a short while. When you are working with multiple mating nucs and batches of queens, proper marking and records become essential.

It also makes future inspections much quicker. A marked queen is easier to find, and a numbered queen is easier to identify with confidence.

Small details, but they make a big difference in queen rearing.

Beekeeping can feel overwhelming when you are starting out.What should you be looking for during an inspection?How do yo...
04/07/2026

Beekeeping can feel overwhelming when you are starting out.

What should you be looking for during an inspection?
How do you know whether a colony is healthy?
When should you give them more space?
What equipment do you actually need?

Our Practical Beekeeping – The Basics course is built around helping new beekeepers understand what they are seeing and why it matters.

The day is practical, friendly and focused on real hive management rather than just theory.

You will learn how to approach a colony inspection, recognise key signs inside the hive, understand the basics of seasonal management, and build confidence working around bees.

📅 Thursday 16th July
📍 Bishops Bees, North Devon

Book here:
https://bishopsbees.co.uk/product/beekeeping-for-beginners-practical-course

Reveal time. 👑🐝There are actually three queens in this picture.Two are marked, which makes them much easier to pick out ...
01/07/2026

Reveal time. 👑🐝

There are actually three queens in this picture.

Two are marked, which makes them much easier to pick out once your eye catches the spot of paint. The third is unmarked, and she is much harder to separate from the workers unless you are looking carefully at body shape, movement and the way the bees behave around her.

This is one of the reasons queen finding is not just about looking for a “bigger bee”.

You are often looking for:
• a longer abdomen
• different movement
• a gap or change in the pattern of bees around her
• marked colour, if she has one
• subtle behaviour rather than just size

It’s also a useful reminder when working with mating nucs, splits and queen rearing colonies. Marking queens helps enormously with record keeping and handling, but there will always be moments where you need to rely on your eye.

A good little test of observation.

Thinking about keeping bees, or just starting out and wanting more confidence?Our Practical Beekeeping – The Basics cour...
27/06/2026

Thinking about keeping bees, or just starting out and wanting more confidence?

Our Practical Beekeeping – The Basics course is designed to give beginners a proper hands-on introduction to working with bees.

The day covers the essentials of colony inspections, understanding what you are seeing inside the hive, basic equipment, bee behaviour, and the decisions beekeepers need to make through the season.

It is ideal if you are new to beekeeping, preparing for your first bees, or want a practical refresher before getting more involved.

📅 Thursday 16th July
🐝 Practical, hands-on beekeeping course
📍 Bishops Bees, North Devon

Book here:
https://bishopsbees.co.uk/product/beekeeping-for-beginners-practical-course

Find the queen… or queens. 👀🐝A little challenge from the queen rearing season.This frame has more going on than it first...
27/06/2026

Find the queen… or queens. 👀🐝

A little challenge from the queen rearing season.

This frame has more going on than it first appears. Somewhere in amongst the bees are queens — but they are not all equally obvious.

Some are marked, which makes life much easier, but one is unmarked and blends in far better with the workers.

It’s a good reminder of how easy it can be to miss a queen when checking mating nucs, splits or frames with a lot of bee movement.

How many queens can you spot?

I’ll post the reveal next.

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Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday 10:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+447908563545

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